Complete Crime Scene Investigation Handbook is the most complete, one-stop practical reference for law enforcement and crime scene professionals as well as students looking to enter the field. The book provides step-by-step methods and best practice protocols for effectively finding, recognizing, recording, collecting, preserving, handling, and packaging evidence.

Share this

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Author

Introduction

Investigative Team

1.1 INVESTIGATIVE TEAM AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

Forensic Search and Seizure

2.1 INTRODUCTION

2.2 STANDING

2.3 LEGAL MEANS TO PROCESS A SCENE

2.4 EXCLUSIONARY RULE

2.5 FORENSIC EVIDENCE

2.6 BLOOD, DNA, AND BODY SAMPLES

2.7 NONTESTIMONIAL EVIDENCE

2.8 PHOTOGRAPHY

2.9 SKETCHES

2.10 NOTES

2.11 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

IMPORTANT COURT CASES

Documentation

Note Taking

3.1 PURPOSE OF DOCUMENTATION

3.2 KEY ELEMENTS OF A PROPERLY DOCUMENTED CRIME SCENE

3.3 FIELD NOTES

3.4 TASK LISTS/TO-DO LISTS

3.5 NOTE CATEGORIES

3.6 PREFORMATTED NOTE FORMS

3.7 VEHICLE DOCUMENTATION

3.8 NOTES

Photography

4.1 ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY

4.2 POLICE PHOTOGRAPHY

4.3 STOP AND EXPOSURE

4.4 APERTURE (F/STOP)

4.5 DEPTH OF FIELD

4.6 SHUTTER SPEED

4.7 ISO

4.8 ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

4.9 HARD LIGHT VERSUS SOFT LIGHT

4.10 CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY

4.11 CATEGORIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS

4.12 SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHS

4.13 PHOTOGRAPHIC PSYCHOLOGY

4.14 PHOTOGRAPH ADMISSIBILITY INTO COURT

4.15 CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY: OVERALL PHOTOGRAPHS

4.16 CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY: MIDRANGE PHOTOGRAPHS

4.17 CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY: CLOSE-UP PHOTOGRAPHS

4.18 PHOTOGRAPHS WITH EVIDENCE MARKERS

4.19 EXAMINATION QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHS

4.20 VICTIM/SUSPECT/WITNESS PHOTOGRAPHS

4.21 OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS

4.22 VEHICLE PHOTOGRAPHY

4.23 COLLISION OR ACCIDENT PHOTOGRAPHY

4.24 OTHER USES OF EVIDENCE PHOTOGRAPHS

4.25 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

4.26 ADDING TO AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

4.27 PHOTOGRAPHY

4.28 SKETCHES

4.29 NOTES

4.30 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

IMPORTANT CASE LAW

Sketching

5.1 USES OF SKETCHES AND FORENSIC MAPS

5.2 DETERMINING WHEN TO CREATE A SKETCH OR FORENSIC MAP

5.3 CATEGORIES OF SKETCHES

5.4 SKETCH VERSUS FORENSIC MAP

5.5 SKETCH INFORMATION AND FORMAT

5.6 SKETCH ADMISSIBILITY INTO COURT

5.7 TYPES OF SKETCHES

5.8 MEASURING DEVICES

5.9 MEASURING METHODS

5.10 NOTE ABOUT MEASURING TECHNIQUES

5.11 CREATING A ROUGH SKETCH

5.12 MEASURING METHODS FOR STRUCTURES

5.13 USE OF TABLE OR MEASUREMENT LOG

5.14 CREATING A FINAL SKETCH

5.15 MAKING YOUR ROUGH SKETCH PERMANENT

5.16 THREE-DIMENSIONAL SKETCHES

5.17 COMPUTER-GENERATED SYMBOLS

5.18 SKETCHES

Locating Evidence

Crime Scene Searching Techniques

6.1 SEARCH PATTERNS

6.2 INFORMATION PROVIDED PRIOR TO SEARCH

6.3 INTRUSIVENESS OF THE SEARCH

6.4 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

6.5 ADDITIONAL SEARCHING TECHNIQUES

6.6 SEARCH PROBLEMS

6.7 PHOTOGRAPHY

6.8 SKETCHES

6.9 NOTES

6.10 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

Alternate Light Source

7.1 ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

7.2 HOW WE SEE OBJECTS

7.3 WHITE LIGHT

7.4 LIGHT

7.5 PHOTOLUMINESCENCE

7.6 FLUORESCENT EFFECT

7.7 FILTERS

7.8 ALTERNATE LIGHT SOURCE

7.9 OTHER USES OF THE ALS

7.10 PAINTING WITH LIGHT REVISITED

7.11 IR/UV PHOTOGRAPHY

7.12 PHOTOGRAPHY

7.13 SKETCHES

7.14 NOTES

7.15 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

Presumptive Tests and Chemical Enhancements

8.1 PRESUMPTIVE TESTS

8.2 TYPES OF PRESUMPTIVE TESTS

8.3 PHOTOGRAPHY

8.4 SKETCHES

8.5 NOTES

8.6 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

8.7 CHEMICAL ENHANCEMENTS

8.8 PHOTOGRAPHY

8.9 SKETCHES

8.10 NOTES

8.11 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

8.12 CLEANING CHEMICALS

8.13 PHOTOGRAPHY

8.14 SKETCHES

8.15 NOTES

8.16 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

8.17 CONFIRMATORY TESTS FOR BLOOD

8.18 SEMEN

8.19 NOTE ON SHELF LIFE

8.20 PHOTOGRAPHY

8.21 SKETCHES

8.22 NOTES

8.23 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

Latent Fingerprint Development

9.1 INTRODUCTION

9.2 ATTEMPTS TO AVOID DETECTION

9.3 FINGERPRINT CHARACTERISTICS

9.4 FINGERPRINT MAKEUP

9.5 POINT OF CLARIFICATION

9.6 USES OF FINGERPRINTS

9.7 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE FINGERPRINTING

9.8 THREE CATEGORIES OF FINGERPRINTS

9.9 TRAINING IS IMPORTANT

9.10 EXPERIMENTATION AT THE SCENE

9.11 TYPES OF BRUSHES

9.12 PROPER USES OF BRUSHES

9.13 POWDERS

9.14 CLEAR LIFTING TAPE

9.15 LATENT FINGERPRINT BACKING CARDS

9.16 FINGERPRINT LIFTING AIDS

9.17 APPLYING TAPE TO SURFACES TECHNIQUES

9.18 ATTACHING TAPE TO BACKING CARD TECHNIQUES

9.19 EXTENDING A BACKING CARD

9.20 USING 2” TAPE TO MAKE PALM-SIZED TAPE

9.21 TRIM ENDS OF TAPE

9.22 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING HINGE LIFTERS

9.23 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING RUBBER/GEL LIFTERS

9.24 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING SPECIAL LIFTING TAPE

9.25 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING FORENSIC SIL

9.26 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING CLEAR GLUE

9.27 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING MIKROSIL

9.28 LIFTING THE LATENT FINGERPRINT USING ADDITIONAL TECHNIQUES

9.29 INCIDENTAL MARKS ON THE LIFTING TAPE

9.30 POWDER PROCESSING METHODS

9.31 ADDITIONAL FINGERPRINT DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES

9.32 CHEMICAL PROCESSING

9.33 PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT

9.34 DYE STAINS FOR POST-CYANOACRYLATE FUMING

9.35 ADDITIONAL PROCESSING METHODS

9.36 DEVELOPING LATENT FINGERPRINTS ON PAPER EVIDENCE

9.37 DEVELOPING LATENT FINGERPRINT ON ADHESIVE SIDE OF TAPE

9.38 DEVELOPING LATENT FINGERPRINTS ON BLOOD-CONTAMINATED EVIDENCE

9.39 DEVELOPING LATENT

9.40 DEVELOPING LATENT FINGERPRINTS ON FIRE SCENE EVIDENCE

9.41 PHOTOGRAPHY

9.42 SKETCHES

9.43 NOTES

9.44 EVIDENCE COLLECTION

9.45 FINGERPRINT FLOWCHARTS

9.46 CHEMICAL SOLUTION CONTROL TEST

Evidence Collection and Packaging

10.1 SINGLE ITEM OF EVIDENCE VERSUS MULTIPLE ITEMS COLLECTED TOGETHER

10.2 EVIDENCE COLLECTION METHODS

10.3 EVIDENCE PACKAGING

10.4 PACKAGING, LABELING, AND SEALING

10.5 PROTECTION OF EVIDENCE FROM LOSS, CROSS CONTAMINATION, OR OTHER ALTERATIONS